Author: Sammi Looi

https://sammi.exposure.co/a-true-community?source=share-sammi

Photoville was definitely a nervewracking experience for me, primarily because I was surrounded by many people who knew how to use their equipment and I didn’t. I never visited Dumbo or went to any photo exhibition events before, so I didn’t know what to expect from going by myself. But despite my hesitance, I found myself captivated by the many photographers and their photographs being displayed. Most of the photographs were presented placed in large, shipping containers; however, once you stepped inside of them and saw how beautiful the photographs were, it made you feel like you were in a museum. The passion that was displayed in these photographs was captivating and you could really tell that the photographers love what they do: capturing places and people through a lens to tell a story.

One one of most eyecatching displays is this photo of a twelve-year-old soldier demonstrating how to use a weapon at a camp. I felt this photograph was thought-provoking and gives us an insight into what is happening in another part of the world because not everyone knows what’s going on. Many people tend to focus on their country or state primarily and not have any idea of what’s happening globally. The fact that a young teenager has to hold a gun and witness casualties, along with hearing bomb explosions is a lot to process. The risk of them having PTSD is high without proper help.

This photograph of a sixteen-year-old who lost a hand by picking up a landmine that he thought was a toy. The first question that was raised in my mind was ‘why were there landmines just laying around near homes or why were the citizens not notified about them?’ According to the photographers’ note, there were also three other children affected by the landmines, thinking they were toys for them to play with. Homes should not be war zones.

This photograph spoke to me through the contrast in the sky’s colors and the ground the boy stood on. This display was located in the photojournalism motivations and the photographer who took this photograph was ‘Gabriel Romero’. He explains that photojournalism isn’t a profession to him, but a lifestyle and one should put their heart into the process. To tell a story is to also take risks and remember that the photographs aren’t about you, but what you’re showing. I found this thought-provoking and inspirational because most of the time, people forget to put passion into what they do. Without passion, you can’t produce the perfect results you want.

My photojournalism assignment is to focus on the recent opening of a Thai Restaurant in New Jersey that is owned by a small immigrant family; they were people who came to the United States without substantial amounts of money and managed to get through their struggle to finally open their own place. They continue to push through the odds and sacrificed many things to make it happen. 

I chose this topic mainly because it was an inspiring story of people making their dreams come true and sharing their background with the public. I plan to capture the inside of their restaurant, along with the different people that come by to show their support and old photographs they have of their life in a different country.